Best Heart Rate Monitors

A heart rate monitor is the perfect tool to assess your current fitness level and determine what you need to do to increase it. At Offers.com, we’ve selected some of the best heart rate monitors on the market, based on price, user reviews, and star ratings. We’ve also selected heart rate monitors with other features like calorie trackers, GPS, and smart watch capabilities.

About Heart Rate Monitors

A heart rate monitor is the perfect way to keep track of your fitness level. These wearable devices measure how fast your heart is beating, allowing you to adjust your exercise intensity and increase your fitness level over time. Heart rate monitors use a sensor to determine your rate and suggest what heart rate you should aim for.

About Heart Rate Monitors

To monitor your fitness levels, one of the most useful tools available is a heart rate monitor. These wearable devices measure how fast your heart is beating, which can both help you adjust your intensity while exercising, and can help you track your fitness level over time. Heart rate monitors sit near your heart or a pulse, and use a sensor to determine your heart rate and offer suggestions of what rate you should aim for during exercise.

Heart rate monitors are available in either chest-strap or wrist-strap styles. In the former style, a wireless sensor placed on your chest sends a signal to a device on your wrist, which tells you your heart rate via the display screen. This style of heart rate monitor is considered to be the most accurate. Wrist-strap styles work similarly, with a sensor built into the band or casing that detects your heart rate through your pulse. They are not quite as accurate, but may be more comfortable and user-friendly.

Unless you are a professional athlete or training for a particular event, the two most important features for the average heart rate monitor user are displaying your heart rate at any given time, and setting your target zone; once this feature is set, your heart rate monitor will alert you if you go either above or below this zone. Look for a model that displays your heart rate continuously, so you get the most accurate reading possible. Higher-tech models can also help you track workouts and even include GPS to help you keep track of mileage during a run or other distance workout.

Beyond these basic features, there are lots of additional things you may enjoy having in your heart rate montitor. Some can connect to a foot pod that tracks your speed and cadence through footfalls. Many may offer clock features such as an alarm or countdown, or a stopwatch that lets you time your workouts. Newer models connect to your computer or smartphone so that you can track statistics over time and see how your fitness levels have improved. You can also buy waterproof heart rate monitors that are ideal for activities such as swimming. Finally, heart rate monitors come in a variety of colors and styles to suit whatever aesthetic you have.

A heart rate monitor does not have to cost a lot of money; there are plenty of models on the market that are effective and cost under $50. Timex, a popular watch brand, offers several very basic, effective heart rate monitors at affordable prices. Brands like Garmin have a range of smart devices that can track your heart rate and other fitness statistics. Even smartwatches such as the Apple Watch offer heart rate monitor features, for those looking for something with even more uses beyond fitness applications.